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Jonothon Starsmore
"Nobody wants to be alone… not even we monsters." Character Stat Sheet Public Information Jonothon Starsmore or Jono to his friends, is the British kid who plays the guitar and covers his neck and face. No, he's not emo - well perhaps a little - but there's a good reason. When his powers first manifested he lost half his face and most of his chest in a massive psionic blast. All the same, he's a powerful mutant - a living furnace who communicates with telepathy, as well as firing powerful flame blasts. Naturally he's on Generation X with the codename Chamber. Background '"First Night Back in London"' Jonothon Evan Starsmore was born in London (in 1998), to parents that were well-off, and a life that seemed pretty easy. As a child in school he was one of the "cool" ones, the popular ones - and smart enough that he didn't do too badly in his classes. He had dreams of one becoming a famous (or infamous) singer/song-writer; his favourite genre of music was punk rock (much to the annoyance of his parents). He was one of the "go-to" fellows in his usual crowd of punks, Goths and other young people who just wanted "out" from the rest of society. All of that changed in high school when his mutant abilities first manifested. Starsmore was out with his girlfriend, Gayle Edgerton, to see a movie when his reality turned in upon itself, reshaping his destiny. What began as a simple kiss ended with an explosion - and not the kind one might expect from such a romantic encounter. Within Jono's body - unbeknownst to him - burned a literal fire of pure psionic energy, like a soul-furnace. As his lips met Gayle's, that fire erupted from his body, consuming most of the internal organs in his torso: heart, lungs, stomach, and so on... It burned through his chest, leaving a gaping cavity in its wake, and took his throat and jaw along with it. The explosion left Gayle crippled. It left Jonothon unable to eat, drink, breathe, speak, or even smile. From that day forward, his body was fuelled by the psionic furnace alone, and he could only speak via telepathic projection. To see him standing there was to behold a fire unlike any other, surging and spewing forth from within, wreathing his upper body in light and flame. And through the fire his eyes would stare... pleading, accusing. What am I?! It was... unnerving, to say the least - having to redefine his existence, his sense of self. So much - in his mind, at least - ended that day. Jono refused to return home for a while - hiding out on the streets of London, living by his wits and wiles, and trying to cover up his psionic furnace. People were terrified of him. Plenty of those in his "usual crowd" - his mates - no longer wanted anything to do with the "freak" he had now become. And he blamed himself. ---- '"If Music Could Talk"' The manifestation of Jono's powers had caused him to let out a psychic scream so loud it was heard by none other than Professor Charles Xavier, the most powerful telepath in the world. While Jonothon still kept to the streets, avoiding his home, Xavier called out to him in his mind, reassuring him of his "gift", and invited him to his school for similarly "gifted" youngsters. It took time for the young man to hear the 'voice' of the Professor, and even more time for him to get over his suspicion - not to mention his thoroughly sullen attitude - and pay attention. Steeling himself, Jono finally relented and returned to his home and his parents after months of having been away. The reunion was... difficult. A formal invitation from Xavier had been sent in writing, to Mr and Mrs Starsmore - so they knew something of what had happened to their son. Still, as much as they were glad to see him home again - they were quite obviously afraid of him (and afraid for him). The option of going to America, and staying at Professor Xavier's school... seemed like the best decision all round, to get their son the help he needed. Jono didn't really want help. He just wanted to be away - where he wouldn't have to see fear and confusion and pain in his parents' eyes anymore. They tried to tell him about Gayle, and how she was faring in hospital, but Jono wouldn't hear of it. His heart was broken, and he blamed himself. In all the time he had been on the streets, he had never visited his (now ex-) girlfriend. The guilt was simply too much. And when the opportunity came along to leave it all behind... ...he took it. Jonothon Starsmore boarded a plane within days of his reunion with his parents, and left for the United States of America, Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning and its campus full of young people - all mutants. Upon arrival, Xavier introduced Jono to other young mutants assembled at the same time (or thereabouts) at his school: Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning. Many of these students had already formed bonds - a "family" of their own they had come to call Generation X. Jono came to know some of the other students, but he did not bond well with any of them. Not at first. He kept to himself for most of his first year at the Institute, playing his guitar in between classes, or disappearing off on walks by himself. ---- '"Living In Flame"' At least Jonothon did not have to be a "walking furnace" everywhere he went. Garments were designed for him to fit the contours of his torso and jawline as if the flesh and bone were still there. Normal garments had helped a little, but with those especially made for him, Jonothon was able to look at least something like "normal". The fibres in the fabric were such that they did most of the "controlling" of Jonothon's powers, which took a load off his mind. The other, more conscious side of controlling his powers was... difficult - after all, fire is easier to start rather than contain or stop - but not impossible. Mentally projected words and sentences grew into more complex images and impressions - and it was nice to finally learn how to have a conversation with just one person (as opposed to broadcasting to an entire class-room). With that avenue of privacy, came a bit more... freedom (emotionally, that is). He started to make some friends. Slowly. But surely. The strange thing with Jono was that while he tended to rebel against authority-figures (the teachers, that is), and grate against most of his peers (students in his class, his age), he continued to bond with younger students - or at least new students - who kept to themselves, locked in their own "worlds" (since the world outside had more or less rejected them, or at least did not know what to do with them). Some of these students had appearances more...challenging than his own, and powers more volatile and unpredictable - but helping them helped himself at the same time. Of course, "helping" other students cope with the big, bad, cruel world often meant getting into fights with bullies (human and mutant alike). Jono didn't have to break out his powers (particularly the "living furnace" side of things) all the time - nor even most of the time - but his efforts to protect his fellow students earned him praise from some, reproach from others. It was a work in progress. Also, Thank God for the Danger Room... ---- '"Stop the World"' In 2013, the world... tried to collide with another world... or something like that. The "experts" called it "The Merge". Starsmore called it, "A bloody mess." He was not wrong. The Institute went into complete lockdown - preventing any and all students from leaving the grounds. Unlike most other schools, Xavier's had facilities to cope with world-shaking calamities - which was a good thing. It was bloody boring, though. It was a chance to cut loose - for real! - and instead Jono found himself (like so many other disgruntled students) confined to his quarters. And how does a habitual rebel deal with being told to "stay in his room?" (well, to tell the truth, he and the others were only confined to campus; it was Jonothon himself who decided that meant "his room"). So there he stayed - alone with his music... turned up much, much too loud. He pointedly refused to turn it down... until one of the other students (who shall remain nameless) knocked on his door and fried his computer. It was a trying time for everyone. In the same year, a rivalry developed between the students of Xavier's school and those of another - the Massachusetts Academy. The students of the latter referred to themselves as "Hellions". A "prank-war" ensued between both colleges - and while Starsmore disdained the notion of pranking in general (not his kind of "rebelling"), he found himself yet again standing between "the bullies and the bullied". Although he would have been loath to admit it, there was always something of a warrior inside Jonothon Starsmore, and it showed itself whenever the unfairness (and cruelty) of life reared its ugly head. In late 2013 - Halloween, no less - riots broke out in the so-called "Mutant Town", costing the life of a fellow student. Starsmore, his fires seething, instantly joined a team of Gen-Xers (led by none other than Jean Grey), and left the school for the "hot spot" in question, to put the riots down. In other words: he went into battle. People died. Some by Starsmore's hand. The riots were contained, the crisis resolved - and Jonothon seemingly went back to "normal life" with little to say about the experience. He refused to open up to students, student-counsellors, etc... about how the riots (and his own part in quelling them) made him feel. Most received a terse, "Deal with it." Still, for those few students with whom he already had an... understanding, he was there. And whenever there was a spare moment for training in the Danger Room, he was there also. Beyond 2013 - beyond The Merge, the riots, and the aftermath of all of it - Jonothon Starsmore continued his studies, his music, his training... all in 'typical Starsmore manner'. Ever the rebel, ever the 'mouth of sarcasm', ever the 'thorn in the side of so many faculty members', he had at least proven one thing: when trouble - in whatever shape it took - would come to the doorstep of friends, of family... ...Chamber would be waiting there to meet it. Personality * The Spark - Jono is a very creative young man, and when he is not too busy moping, he writes music, and plays electric guitar. In all likelihood, if he had not been a mutant (or at least had not blown half of himself up), he would have ended up a lead singer/guitarist in his own band as he had always dreamed. Some of that is still possible... he just needs to be reminded. * The Cloud - If life were a Looney Tunes show, Jono Starsmore would be the one walking about with a dark, stormy raincloud over his head. To be fair, the fellow does have a good reason to be upset - a little "emo", even - but he does tend to push it every so often. He is prone to dark mood swings, being surly with his teachers and fellow students, and (on occasion) sulking off by himself in a world-full of questions, regrets, and monsters that all look like him. Jono's mind is very sharp, and he has the razor wit to prove it. He acts like he does not care if/when he happens to hurt someone... but he does. He cares a lot. It is because he cares that he fears so much (he has the potential to become an extremely powerful mutant...) * The Boy - Jono is a complicated young man - he's a teenager, so go figure. At this point in his life he is not sure of what he wants exactly, except to pine after the things (he believes) are no longer in reach - but even that is not entirely true. He is a cultured young man - well-raised, and well-read. He has other passions besides music; he likes tinkering - has a motorcycle in the garage... one that doesn't run (but that's not to say it won't someday). He also knows - all too well - that there are plenty of people in the world who intend him and his friends harm... just for being different. He has had to defend his 'mates' before, and he'll do it again. There's a heart of a warrior burning - literally - inside his chest. Logs * 2015-02-06 - X Marks the Homework - Havok follows up on a Danger Room session with Chamber and Jubilee. * 2015-02-05 - X Marks the Splotch - Havok leads a Danger Room session with Generation X. If the Brotherhood doesn't get him, the teenagers will. Category:Marvel Features Category:Regular Characters Category:Taken Characters Category:Mutants Category:1998 Births Category:Generation X Category:Xavier's Institute Category:Immortality Category:Family Matters